The population of older adults has grown rapidly in recent years and is expected to
continue to grow into the middle of this century. The aging of the population means that
nurses need to have specialized gerontological knowledge in order to properly care for older
adults. In spite of the current need for specialists in this field, gerontological nursing is not a
popular choice and nurses often lack adequate preparation to care for older adults. The
complex reasons behind these issues are rooted in the history of the development of this
specialty.
This study takes a historical look at the development of gerontological nursing in
British Columbia through the stories of seven nurse educators who were leaders and
innovators in their field. The findings of the study tell a story of the nurses’ work to change
unacceptable nursing practice, improve standards of care and professional status of
gerontological nursing and advocate for older adults. In doing so, these nurses challenged
cultural values about aging and care of older adults and worked toward giving gerontological
nurses a voice in policy and decision-making. The findings from this study can be used to
guide today’s gerontological nurses as they continue to develop this specialized field of
nursing knowledge.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/5116 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Roberts, Erica |
| Publisher | University of British Columbia |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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